Why The Privacy Of Your Wedding Photos Matters

We live in a world where we are constantly being asked to accept website cookies and terms and conditions on everything from a new phone to a hotel stay and fill in forms at medical appointments that ask if we’re happy for our personal details to be used. As irritating as this can sometimes be, I’m thankful that my privacy is mostly respected and consent is sought when sharing personal information. The privacy and use of your wedding photos shouldn’t be an exception to this, and you should always have the right to choose how photographs of you are shared and used online.

I’m a private person myself, and as such, I am mindful of how much of my own personal information is publicly available. I’ll be honest, it’s not easy as a self-employed wedding photographer with a detailed online presence to try and keep some of those more personal details out of the public realm. So I share what I think you need to know as well as anything that I think might be helpful to anyone interested in booking me for their wedding. The important things are what I do, how I do it and where I work; the helpful things include who I am and a few bits of personal information to show that I’m a real person and not an AI-generated deepfake.

When you book me for your wedding photography, one of the questions I’ll ask at the time of booking, and also closer to the date of your wedding, is if you are happy for your wedding photos to be shared publicly. On the one side I need to be able to show my most recent work here on my website and social media platforms for marketing and also to share with venues and other wedding suppliers to help my photos reach a larger audience. Most of my couples are quite happy with this; some ask that I only share a few select photos, and some ask that I don’t share any of their wedding photos at all. I’ll always ask and respect your wishes accordingly. Even though the copyright to all of the photographs that I take belongs to me, I do think that everyone has a right to choose if and when photos of them are publicly viewable.

Last summer I had the pleasure of photographing Emily and Sam’s wedding at Lancrigg in Grasmere. Emily and Sam are both incredibly private people and asked me not to share anything from their wedding. That’s fine; I completely understand and will always respect a client’s wishes, and as I fiercely protect my own privacy, it’s only right that I fully respect and empathise with clients who feel the same way.

Only, Emily and Sam’s wedding was a brilliant day, and I was desperate to show off some of their photos. I was so incredibly proud of everything that I captured; I was bursting to share it with the world. The whole day had been a really chilled-out affair, and Lancrigg is a perfect venue for a relaxed and low-key wedding. After I had taken them both for a walk around the venue for their couple photos, we were sat on a wall having a chat, like we were old friends reminiscing, and the subject of privacy came up in conversation. Emily told me that she was happy for me to share some photos so long as she could curate them. We agreed that any venue photos or pictures of wedding details were absolutely fine for me to use, as nobody at the wedding could be identified by them, and that I would let Sam and her choose which photos of the two of them and their wedding guests they were happy to be used. We also agreed that any photographs that had any children in them were off limits.
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So here is a short but sweet selection of photos from the wedding of Emily and Sam at Lancrigg, Grasmere. Not only does this allow me to highlight why privacy is important, but it has also given me the opportunity to share some highlights of Lancrigg, which truly is a wonderful wedding venue. Hopefully the photos will give you a sense of what a Lancrigg wedding can really feel like with it’s spectacular setting in Easedale Valley at the foot of Helm Crag. Lancrigg offers a perfect canvas for a wedding in one of the most beautiful locations in the Lake District.

A huge congratulation to Emily and Sam and a big thank you for being the most awesome of clients.